Ben Benton's book All You Can Eat is certainly not without its flaws and irritations, but I agree with his overall argument that "British food" is no longer monochrome, anodyne and flavourless and that the array of cuisines now available in the UK is impressive in comparison both with just a few decades ago and with what's on offer in other countries.
As also evidenced by the English language, we have a natural taste and aptitude for absorption. You could regard this as appropriation, a hangover from the colonial era, or you could see it more charitably (as he and I do) as proof of a receptiveness towards other cultures and a protean sense of ourselves as a nation - one that undermines the narrow-mindedly defensive and xenophobic attitude represented by Reform and their ilk.
Buzz review here.
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